Hay for sale in East Gadsden AL as well as hay produced and kept on the farm for animal feed is basically dried grass, plants or legumes. Sometimes called fodder, hay needs to be cut, dried, and baled or stored in some way so that it is protected from the elements and ready to use for animal feed during the winter or during other periods when these same plants are unavailable for grazing. Hay is easily damaged by moisture and retains its quality and nutrients best when properly stored in a dry space with good ventilation. Hay for sale in East Gadsden Alabama is most often put up in either rectangular bales referred to as "small squares" that can be easily picked up and moved by hand, or in large round or square bales that are so heavy that they must be lifted with tractors or other equipment and moved on large trucks and trailers.

One of the most popular kinds of hay for sale in East Gadsden AL today is alfalfa. Alfalfa, called Lucerne in some parts of the world, is a nutrient rich member of the pea family that has been grown for animal feed since the days of the Roman Empire. Alfalfa hay for sale in East Gadsden Alabama is in great demand for dairy cattle, but also widely used for beef cattle, sheep, and goats. Alfalfa can be purchased as baled hay for sale in East Gadsden AL, small compressed and bagged cubes of hay for sale in East Gadsden Alabama, and silage or bale age hay for sale in East Gadsden AL.

Other types of East Gadsden Alabama hay for sale are the varieties of clover hay. There are three varieties of clover including red, white and subterranean clovers. Grass hay for sale in East Gadsden AL is also widely used and some often used varieties of grass hay for sale in East Gadsden Alabama are orchard grass, rye, brome, timothy and fescue by themselves or in combination with other types of hay. East Gadsden AL hay for sale can also be what is known as grain hay. Grain hay for sale in East Gadsden Alabama is wheat, oats or barley that has not been threshed and still contains the nutrient rich seed head. These same plants can produce straw, which is the stalk of the plant that remains after threshing. Straw is not used as East Gadsden AL hay for sale because little nutrition remains after threshing, therefore making straw more suitable to use as bedding instead of feed
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East Gadsden Alabama hay for sale is available during the summer in most climates; however states with long growing seasons such as California may be able to produce East Gadsden AL hay for sale year round. Normally, farmers cut their hay each summer and store what they will need for feed while offering the excess hay for sale in East Gadsden Alabama. A recent drought condition over the central part of our country has made hay for sale in East Gadsden AL difficult to find. These farmers operating under drought conditions are forced to seek East Gadsden Alabama hay for sale from other states and have it shipped by the tractor trailer load across the country to their farms to feed their animals.

The gathering of the hay, sometimes called hay season or putting up hay, is a time of harvest and hard work on many farms. Hay must be mowed, then dried and finally raked into wind rows and baled in a process that can take 2 or 3 days to complete. Hay is a staple for farm animals everywhere and plays an important role is keeping our milk and meat supplies abundant.